Bite Me
by averious
Summary: In a world torn by conflict and war, a battle between humans and vampires rages on. Natsu Dragneel, the vampire prince of Magnolia, has come to a sudden point in his life where he needs to find his mate. Little does he know, his mate just so happens to be closer than he thinks. —vampire!au dark(ish)!natsu/lucy [mostly sexual content and strong language]
1. Chapter 1

_Dedicated to Sarah and your love for vampires._

 **WARNING: contains sexual content and strong language**

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 ** _Chapter 1: The Woman In Gold_**

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 _"Fiore, a world filled with vampires and humans, terror roams at every corner, its land spilled with ancient blood._

 _A great war had once raged between the two races, both conflicted with ideas of peace, they battled until they came to an agreement to split the Fiore in two. The Vampires fled to the west and the humans fled to the east. Regardless of their so called truce, the human race continues to decline rapidly. Vampires, thirsty for blood and land has pillaged small human villages, stealing their wealth and resources back to their homeland. Kidnapping humans back as blood banks until they are thrown away when they do not have a single ounce of blood left. Some humans are kept as slaves and others, in rare cases, beome mated to their destined vampire._

 _Vampires are human-like. They have sharp canine teeth and cold pale skin. They have a particular craving for blood on a daily basis and it is required for them to live. However, they can also eat what humans eat. They eat food as substance to help growth and to ease the same hunger we feel. However, it is essential for them to drink blood and they will not be able to go a week without it or, unfortunately, they will fall to the ground and die a slow and painful death. Because of their scarce resource of humans they usually feed off farm animals. Of course, to them, they will always favour the taste of human blood._

 _Clan Fairy Tail currently rules Magnolia, it stands as one of the most notable vampire reigned kingdoms in the west." -An extract from Levy Mcgarden's book: An Introductory To A World Of Hate_

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Natsu Dragneel, vampire prince of Magnolia, released a weary sign as he stared at the strange mark on his arm. He was drained to the point of exhaustion and he had not done anything but listed out instructions to a few of the soldiers. It was because of the damn mark, he supposed. His father had told him during a session when he was younger that the mark was meant to symbolise that his so-called mate was near and it was only a matter of time before he met her (though, he never told him any of the side effects that came with it). Everyone had told him (and teased him) with explicit detail the process of claiming a mate. He chuckled inwardly to himself. If it was 4 years ago he would've blinked in utter innocence. But now, 21 years old and the attraction of many women and men at royal balls, he had enough practice to know what to do when the time came.

He had things to attend later during the day. He had to meet nobles, question prisoners, charm visitors and most importantly, drink some delicious crimson blood. He unconsciously stuck his tongue out and licked his fangs at the thought, but the pain on his arm ruined the mood instantly.

Lately he had been having dreams, _very good_ dreams for that matter. For the past few days, he had dreamt of a blonde woman, but he was never able to see what she really looked like. Every time she appeared she would glow in a luminous light, shielding a good portion of her face with a cloud of white mist, leaving only her pink lips in was something about her that gave a brilliant vibe of all that was good, all that was pure. It was as if she was an angel that had descended from heaven. Natsu felt himself sigh.

 _She was utterly beautiful._

She had golden locks and curves at all the right places, her skin was soft and pale and he remembered vividly, the smile that curled against her full lips. He never got the chance to remember her voice or anything they had talked about. All he could remember was the feeling of absolute ecstasy when he felt taste of her lips, the vibration of her groans and moans against his mouth, the way she was pressed against him so perfectly-

The thought of her sent a shiver down his spine. Who was this mysterious woman that plagued his dreams? Was it his mate? Or was it merely a wet dream of someone else? Even if so, it was definitely not the woman he last slept with—because the woman in gold did not feel the slightest bit like her.

Not to mention, _she_ had white hair.

His fingers clenched around his arm trying to relieve the pain, but to his dismay, it only made it worse. Images of his dream flashed before him and his eyes went dizzy with lust and confusion. He had to find this woman quick or she was going to be the death of him.

"Hey, hot-head, you all right there?" Gray asked as he leaned against the pilar next to him. The black haired vampire knight seemed perfectly fine half naked as he basked in the winter air.

"I'm fine." Natsu replied sharply and then winced, "How did you manage to deal with this?"

Gray shrugged and played with the sword in his hand. "I got my mate almost immediately I got my mark. But maybe that's because my mate just so happened to be my stalker."

Natsu rolled his eyes and groaned in frustration. Damn Gray for getting his mark first. Damn Gray for having a mate that was so conveniently there. Damn Gray for being Gray. The fact that his best knight got a mate before he did (and he was the prince of Magnolia for crying out loud!), really got on his nerves.

"If the mark is hurting this much, then where is she?" Natsu growled as he continued to battle against the pain.

"Maybe somewhere in town?"

"You're a real help you know that?" He gritted out sarcastically.

Gray laughed and shook his head, "She'll come eventually. Give it time. Remember Gajeel had to suffer for an entire month before he got Levy? You only got your mark 3 days ago so relax flame brain."

"Who are you calling flame brain, ice dick?" He muttered pathetically as he tried to bite back the pain.

Gray scoffed and turned his back before he started to walk away. "While you don't have a mate, I have a mate to get back to. Have fun staying horny and in agony!"

If it wasn't for his position and the fact that he might be his best frien- enemy, Natsu would've ripped his guts out ages ago.

With a strangled sigh he slowly composed himself and walked into the throne room where three massive seats were placed in the middle. Originally, there had only been two, one for him and one for his father, but after the news of his mark they quickly added an additional throne for his mate. He stared bitterly at it, wondering when the hell was she going to arrive.

For the rest of the day he sat there. Listening to the requests and complaints from the townspeople, boring old advisors rambling off, designers asking for _which shade of fucking pink_ should they use to tailor his new clothes (honestly, they all looked the same), the reports from their soldiers and so much more. Half of the time he answered with mild interest and other times he simply nodded his head while his mind was occupied with _the woman_. He wondered what she would sound like, would her voice be sweet and high pitched or low and sexy? Would her lips feel as soft as he had dreamed? Would her-

"Milord?"

He snapped back to reality and found Erza, captain of the troops, standing there with her helmet held against her waist as her eyes looked at him with slight worry.

"You've been sitting there for hours. Is everything all right?"

He nodded and rubbed the crook of his neck. "Yes. Everything is fine, Captain. I've just been thinking about a few things."

She gave him a look that told him she didn't seem to be convinced at all. Erza cleared her throat and her eyes narrowed slightly. "Milord, I bring news of clan Sabertooth. Our watch towers across the Fiore are slowly being taken down by their savages, sir, they've raided a few of our supplies and killed a handful of good men. I fear their clan may be growing by the amount of propaganda their leaders are sending out to the people. My messengers have reported that there has been an increase in recruits for Sabertooth."

He furrowed his eyebrows as his pent up frustration and anger began to boil within him. His fingers twitched as his eyes danced with fury. For a brief moment, Erza had a flash of fear painted on her face but it quickly went back to her usual stone faced expression.

Clan Sabertooth and Clan Fairy Tail had been rivals for centuries. Sabertooth was filled with mercenaries, sadistic savages who thirsted for human blood. Most of the kingdoms in the West used animal blood as their food supply. Sabertooth, on the other hand, lived somewhere in between the West and the East, where they were in both human and vampire territory. They were infamous for the kidnapping of innocent humans and selling their blood in black markets. Most clans, that were for peace, hated them to the core. It was because of them and their growing population of barbarians the humans started to lose trust in vampires. It was as though the peace that had once been declared during the great war from centuries ago meant absolutely nothing.

Natsu, next to rule, was determined to wipe them off the face of the earth.

"We-" Before he could go off pouring his anger into words about Sabertooth, his arm sent a shockwave of pain coursing throughout his body and he fell to his knees, his breath harsh and his heart struggling like a caged bird. "W-we upgrade our de-defence, ask for volunteers, do whatever it takes t-to increase our troops' str-strength. We mu-must try stay str-strong." He gritted through the agonising pain he was feeling.

"Milord!" Erza cried and ran to his side, lifting him up by the arm and carefully seating him back down against his throne. "Shall I fetch the nurse? Do you need an ounce of blood?"

"I'm fine." He grunted as he shifted uncomfortably, the pain growing stronger by the second. "You are dismissed Captain."

Erza opened her mouth to retort but quickly snapped it shut. She knew better than to question a vampire prince. Hesitantly, she nodded before she took her leave.

His vision began to blur. The world was spinning and he felt absolutely horrible. His throat was parched, his muscles felt sore, his back ached with each movement and his head felt as if it was on fire.

When everything slowly seemed to go faint, he was sure he was about to fall unconscious. As his eyelids began flutter to close, that was when he heard the banging of the front door, the shouting of guards, and his pain immediately subsided. He shot up and looked down at himself, blinking and rubbing his eyes to make sure he was not dreaming. His eyes darted to the mark on his arm and gave it a skeptical look, wondering if it was going to start acting up again. Had his torture finally come to an end?

"Open the fucking door!" Gray screamed from the outside.

He quickly ran to the front where almost everyone was gathered around. The pouring rain thundered in the night, streaks of lightning flashed and danced. He pushed his way through the crowd to find Gray, holding onto a young woman— _a human—_ with dirty blonde hair. His breath was caught in his throat as he stared at her in curiosity and caution.

Gray settled her on the floor gently, his shirt was soaked in mud and rain, his expression twisted into one that was filled with distress and dread.

Natsu knelt down beside the two and placed a hand on her dirt patched forehead, immediately retracting it when he felt the fierce fever radiating through her skin.

"Get Wendy now!" He ordered in an alarming state. Her breath came in harsh, desperate gasps, and her body trembled and shook. Gajeel, the fastest to react, ran off to search for Wendy, the castle's youngest and most trusted medic.

"What happened to her?" Natsu asked and his words came out as dry and rasp.

"Sabertooth." Gray murmured, "We found her when we were sweeping one of the watch towers that was raided by Eucliffe's men. She was one of the hostages—well, actually, she was the only hostage that managed to survive and she struck the final blow to their commander. You should've seen her Natsu, she was weakened to the point where she could barely stand and she still managed to throw a stake to his chest. Luckily, we managed to get her to safety before the reinforcements came."

Natsu stared in disbelief at the woman. It had always boggled his mind how much determination some humans had. Even if they had only a string of hope to hold on to, their will to live and to keep fighting was extraordinary.

Gajeel had finally returned with Wendy. In her hands she held a basket of medical supplies and a few bottles of healing herbs. Her fingers quickly went to nurse her wounds and she tried not to rush her movements. She pried open the woman's pale lips and slipped a few drops of brewed medicine. Wendy, being oblivious to the blood-lusted eyes from both Gray and Natsu (him being the one most affected) from the sight of blood, continued to stitch the blonde's cuts as she gently wiped off her blood with a cloth.

"Well, the good news is that she's going to live." Wendy confirmed and earned a sigh of relief from Natsu, "But, she will need to rest. I'd say for at least a day. I gave her one of my herbs that will prevent the smell of her being human to be tracked by any vampire."

Natsu nodded and looked at the crowd that encircled them. "Then she will stay here for the night until she recovers and leave the next morning."

His arm gave a painful throb as he said that.

"That won't do." Quipped in a low voice. All heads turned to find the Igneel, the vampire king, walking in with his chest held high and his fangs glistening. He looked down at the woman and shook his head. "Reports from other kingdoms claim that most of the boarder between the East and the West have been secured by Sabertooth. With the amount of enforcement they have, I doubt we'll be getting through in a long time."

There were murmurs of agreement and worried voices concerning the fate of their kingdom. His father was right, there was no way they could make it through with the state of their troops and the declining numbers of good soldiers.

He hesitated a nod and took her limp figure into his arms, his heart fluttering with warmness as he held the human. She had stopped shaking a while ago and her expression had graced into a rather calm and serene state. Her breathing became quiet and her lips were slightly parted, a part of him was strangely drawn to the sight of them.

"I will escort her to my room and she will rest there for the time being." He said firmly, not trusting most of the soldiers and staff that they would not sneak in to drink her blood.

Grumbles erupted from the crowd as some were suspicious and wary of the presence of a human and some wondering if she could last long enough in a kingdom of vampires.

"Very well." His father nodded in approval and made a gesture to disperse the crowd, "She will now be your responsibility Natsu. You will see to it that by the end of this she will be alive and well."

As the sea parted and made way for the cold blooded creature and the human in his arms, Natsu walked to his chamber with a few pairs of worried eyes digging into his back.

Eventually, he made it to a lavished room filled with luxurious furniture and a dim light hanging from above. Most of the interior were coloured in a depressing hue of black and white with tints of red. Carefully, he placed her on his bed and decided to use the couch to crash for the night. Before he left her sleeping figure, Natsu took the time to examine her features. She looked familiar, a little _too_ familiar and his mind could not wrap around who she was. His eyes trailed down to her hand, which was wrapped in cloth and tattered with dirt and blood. He made a mental note to ask Mirajane to clean her up the next morning.

Then, he left her and fell onto the couch, burying his face in a pile of pillows as he continued to wonder why had his mark suddenly stopped hurting.

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 **Author's note:** Hi there! I hope you all like it so far and you'll stay with me through this journey :) Sorry if there are a ton of grammar errors, english isn't my first language. If anyone is interested in being a beta, feel free to PM me!

Also, Natsu might be a little ooc throughout the story (considering he's a Dark!natsu and also a badass vampire). If you're looking for a story where Lucy's a damsel in distress she will definitely not be displayed as one here.

Thanks for reading and look forward to a new chapter soon (:


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Man With A Craving For Blood

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 _"At some point in history, it was recorded that humans and vampires lived in peace. They shared the land, the food, the shelter and all was fair. Historians from the East recall those days as 'The Harmonious Age' and till today, humans continue to tell the stories of the cold blood and the warm blood living together with not a shed of violence to their children. However, the West recalls the period as nothing but a myth. Although most vampires have lived through the period due to their long lifespan, many of those who I have asked denied the fact that has ever been a time when we all lived in the same plot of land. It still boggles my mind as to why they would never admit it. I presume it's the great war from centuries ago that caused this. But, I supposed we'll never know." —An extract from Levy Mcgarden's book: An Introductory To A World of Hate_

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Lucy awoke with a startled gasp to the sun's rays. She could feel the heat, slanting warm across the bed, covering her in gold and yellow. A foreign scent wafted through the air and her throat felt awfully dry. With a groan, she pushed herself up and found that she was in a bed that was definitely not hers. Suddenly, aware of the gravity of the situation, her eyes widened in horror as she fanatically inspected her surroundings wondering what the hell happened. One moment she was breathless on the dirt floor and the next she was lying in a luxurious bed that was way too comfortable than the ones back home.

It was then she noticed there was a door across the room with the sounds of water running. Lucy froze, contemplating if she should run out of there as fast as possible or stay put and prepare to punch the fuck out of whoever was there. Her hand unconsciously reached for her side but noticed with dread, her whip was gone. She had nothing but the blankets and pillows that surrounded her.

 _Stay calm Lucy._ She told herself as she tried to formulate a plan. _Come on, think! Maybe you can offer them money to let you go? Or maybe some food if they're hungry?_ Her head turned to survey her surroundings and scratched the last two thoughts. Whoever kidnapped her probably had enough food and money to last them for generations to come. Now, the other thing she had to worry about was how she was going to explain the situation to her village leader if she ever managed to make it out alive. _I was distracted by a yellow mushroom and I thought it carried some special powers- no way. He might be stubborn but he isn't stupid. Maybe I should tell him I was trying to save some hostages? Right, like he would believe that, as if he thinks I can fight anyway._

Eventually, the sounds of the water running was loud enough to convince Lucy that she could make an escape, that somehow and someway whoever was taking a shower would not notice her silent and quick exit. She took a daring step to swing her legs off the bed, pushing the blankets away, and slowly crept towards the door. Her mind suddenly took her back to her younger days, when she had to sneak to steal food from fruit stands and parties. She mentally thanked the heavens for her childish ways finally coming into good use.

So far, so good.

Suddenly, there was a creek, a turn of a tap, the running of water slowly came to an end and a loud yawn. Lucy froze, every limb stayed in its place for the desperate fear of whoever was in the shower to find her. She sucked in a deep breath and prayed to every god there was to help her, and at the same time, she mentally cursed at a few of them for giving her the gift of the worst luck in the world.

Lucy concentrated through the movements and managed to focus by closing her eyes. She had to come up with a plan quick, but it seemed almost impossible to do so with all the possible outcomes running through her head. It was an absolute cluster of worries. Her stomach emitted bubbles of nausea, and she tried to wash away the image of her father looking down in disappointment at her, the faces of her family and friends turning away-

"Going somewhere?"

Every muscle in her body tensed at the sound of the low voice. Her voice was caught in her throat as her eyes immediately darted to the man with salmon coloured hair who stood leaning against the shower door. His gaze was dark and burning, setting fire onto every fibre of her skin. She swallowed thickly and she tried to compose herself, attempting to shoot back a look with the same amount of intensity.

"Well, you're definitely looking much better than yesterday." He said with a smirk as his gaze travelled from up to bottom, a light tint of red burned against her cheeks. "Though, I can't say much about your clothes. I'll get Virgo to clean you up."

Lucy blinked. It was then she realised she had been wearing the same muddy shirt and pants from yesterday. The material had gone sticky and torn as it clung onto her skin. She definitely needed whoever that Virgo person was to help clean her up.

She shook her head vigorously, she was getting distracted! _For goodness sake, you've just been kidnapped and you're thinking about taking a shower?_

"Who are you?" Lucy asked, her voice stern and demanding.

His eyes went wide for a moment, as though he was surprised that she spoke. The man's gaze shifted to trace her features, she could feel it, his fingers tugging and twitching on his half buttoned shirt and a loose tie clung around his neck. Then, his eyes suddenly went back to hers. He cleared his throat, as if to cut through the thick silence that lingered between them.

"My name is Natsu Dragneel, the vampire prince of Magnolia and yesterday, one of my men saved you. You were in critical condition and you were sent back here immediately." He explained as his eyes never left hers, "They said you put up quite a fight, even threw a stake to their commander's chest killing him. That's quite impressive for a human, especially when you were injured."

Lucy gaped at the man in front of her. She was saved… _by vampires?_ The creatures that everyone warned her about? The creatures that raided numerous villages in the East? The creatures that nearly killed her parents? She blinked at him, swiping a tongue across her bottom lip.

"Are you… really a vampire?" She finally asked.

He looked at her, with a mischievous glint in his eyes, he opened his mouth to reveal his two sharp canine teeth catching the light.

Lucy gulped and shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. She was having an actual conversation with an actual vampire, the fact that she was still alive astounded her.

"So what were you doing in the West, human?" Natsu inquired, placing his hands on his hips. Lucy opened her mouth, attempting to force out the words that were stuck in her throat, but to no avail, her mouth moved but it merely formed silent syllables.

"Well?" He demanded, a slight frown of impatience pulled at his lips.

"I-I was trying to get something back." She stammered and her heart hammered against her chest, wondering if he was going to ask her what was she trying to get back. Even if she told him, it wasn't like he was going to believe her, anyway.

Instead, Natsu caught her wrist, she flinched at the sudden contact and tugged slightly against his hold. He stared intently at the hand that was wrapped in bandages. It was tattered in red and brown, she supposed it was her own blood with a mix of mud. The— _thing_ that lied beneath it started to hurt again. Short and quick throbs of pain ached from it and she felt herself slightly wince at the feeling. It had been a few days since she felt the odd sensation that came from her hand and no one in her village knew what was going on. The doctors believed she could've been infected by an unknown disease and her parents thought she had been bitten by some sort of creature.

With his fingers still enveloped around her thin wrist, his thumb unconsciously soothed the palm of her hand. Lucy gasped slightly, taken a little off guard, but she didn't pull away. He examined each part of her hand closely, turning it to the side and back, studying each part as though it was something put on display.

His eyebrows furrowed in concern, "How are your other wounds?"

She shrugged, "They're… doing fine. A few unhealed bruises here and there, but I think I can manage." Suddenly realising he had been holding her wrist for quite some time, quickly and as subtly as possible, she shook her wrist from his hold and pulled her hand close to her chest.

"What happened to your hand?"

Her body stiffened at the question. For a moment, Lucy pondered about telling him the truth, but seeing as she literally just met him, her parents taught her better than to reveal too much to strangers— _especially vampires._

 _"_ While I was a hostage, at some point I angered one of the raiders and they slashed my hand with a blade." She wasn't lying about angering her kidnappers. Though, the injury they inflicted on her was a totally different injury on a totally different body part.

Natsu watched her for a moment, lips slightly pursed as though in deep thought. Then, he leaned in close, gaze settled intently on her hand and his face was mere inches away from hers.

"Come with me, we need to get that treated." He said and drew back, shoulders broad and chest out as he started to walk out of the room. Lucy attempted to catch up with him, her steps still shaky and unbalance.

"Wait, hold on!" She piped up, earning his attention but he continued to walk at a fast pace. "The wound might look a bit different— well, it's not what you think it is… It's not exactly a cut. No! No. I mean. It is a cut! But not in the shape, of a cut, I mean of course it is, I just meant-"

"Save the explanation for later." He abruptly said and placed a finger to her lips, "You're in a castle filled with vampires and you must listen to my instructions very closely, do you understand?"

Lucy nodded and sounded a quiet noise against his finger.

"Keep your voice down and don't make eye contact with anyone but me or straight ahead. You are still in vampire territory, human, there are some here who wouldn't mind killing you if you look at them in any way." He whispered and pulled her close to his side. Lucy could only blink and nod to tell him that she understood every word.

The two walked side by side through the castle halls. Lucy noticed how the windows were covered in dark velvet curtains and the sky was a mixture of purple and blue. The ceilings hung chandeliers that glowed dim as it swayed and creaked in the darkness of the corridors. The floors were covered with carpets, patterns that originated from all over the West.

The people who roamed the halls had stopped, stared, and their looks varied from curiosity to disgust. She felt herself gulp as she tried to ignore their obvious whispers and chatters. Her eyes were focused intently on the road straight ahead and the direction where Natsu was leading her to.

A little voice at the back of her head whispered silent doubts. Maybe, this vampire prince was not to be trusted? Maybe, he was going to drain her blood and use it for his own selfish purposes? She had heard too many stories and rumours of those who had mysteriously disappeared from her village. Feeling a little more alarmed, she held her hand tighter and closer to her chest, her eyes slightly wide with worry.

"We're here."

Natsu had stopped in front of a blue door and knocked on it three times. Sounds of rustling and bottles being knocked over erupted from inside, a feminine yelp and another squeaked "sorry" over and over again. The door was then slammed open and there stood a woman, her hair white and long and her lips graced a soft smile.

"Ah, Milord, what a pleasant surprise." She said and her gaze shifted to Lucy who had moved behind him, "Is this the human everyone's been talking about?"

"That's right. Gray rescued her from Eucliffe's men and she was severely injured. Although Wendy healed most of her wounds," He paused and took her bandaged wrist and lifted it up, "this still hasn't recovered."

She inspected it with pursed lips. For a full minute, they stood there in silence as Mirajane continued to look at her hand that sent short throbs of pain through her arm every once in a while. The silence was cut by her sigh and she nodded at her conclusion.

"You two better come in. I think I might know what's happening."

The room was like most medical rooms Lucy had been in. They were filled with medicines and books, some jars and bottles were toppled over and paper scattered across tables. There was a girl with dark blue hair, who Lucy supposed was no older than 16, was busy throwing away the scattered pieces of a flask. Her heart gave a throb of pity and she wondered if she should offer help, but the small voice in her head had returned to remind her to keep her guard up.

"Sit here." Mirajane motioned to a stool next to a large desk where it was the messiest. As she took her seat, the doctor— who she believed was Mirajane, settled a box of medical supplies beside her.

"Can I take this off?" She asked softly, motioning to her bandaged hand. Lucy stayed silent, chewing on her bottom lip as she contemplated. After a moment, she nodded hesitantly. It wasn't like she could say no to a room full of vampires.

Mirajane slowly began to unwrap the dirty cloth that covered her hand. She continued to suppress the urge to make a face of pain as the ache had returned. Whatever it was, she silently prayed that vampire doctors knew what to do with it.

"Milord." Mirajane suddenly said. Her voice was quiet and filled with shock as she stared with wide eyes at Lucy's uncovered hand. Slowly, she started to back away from the human. "Milord, please, you need to see this."

"What is it Mira-" Natsu stopped in his steps and craned his head to what Mirajane was looking at, then, he froze. His shoulders had gone stiff and tense and his eyes were wide with his mouth slightly parted open. The entire room went silent except for the sounds of the girl cleaning up the shards of glass. Lucy looked at both of them in utter confusion, her stomach clenched in worry, wondering what in the world had happened.

"She—the mark." His voice wavered. "How?"

"I sensed something was odd about her the moment you brought her to my door but I didn't think she was…"

"A human…is that even possible?"

Mirajane nodded with a sigh, "There has been some cases of this, but never has there been a case of a royal blooded vampire with a human mate."

Wait, did she just say _mate?_

"Mate?" Lucy suddenly spoke up and the two turned their attention to her, "What do you mean by that?"

They both wore troubled expressions, Natsu's frown only deepened at her question. They exchanged a few more words before Natsu walked towards her, yanking her up by the arm and she stumbled slightly at his action. Then, without another word, he took her by the wrist and swiftly guided them out of the room to their next destination.

"Where are we going?" Lucy attempted to ask as she tried to keep up, her wrist feeling a little sore by how hard he was gripping it.

He remained silent as they entered a large room with three massive seats in the middle. The room was surrounded with guards and some others who were dressed in formal attire. Lucy came to a sudden revelation that she was in the throne room and the man who sat in the largest seat in the middle, was the king.

Her skin crawled with horror as she was brought in front of the man who ruled the kingdom she was currently in. He looked at her solemnly, his appearance showed power and superiority. There was something about him that made him dangerous yet peaceful at the same time. The king had blood red hair tied into a long pony tail, a crown that glistened under candle lights and eyes that were almost as dark as Natsu's.

"Father." Natsu said, inclining his head in respect, but his body shook with anger.

"You may rise." The king said calmly, as though he did not notice the state his son was in.

Natsu swallowed thickly and pointed towards Lucy, who kept her head down as though in shame. "This human— you knew about it the entire time didn't you? You knew she was my mate the minute she arrived." His voice was low and each word tried to hide the obvious livid anger that radiated from him.

"Of course I did." He said, almost emotionless as looked at Lucy with an amused smile curling at his lips, "How rude of me, I believe introductions are in order."

"Father." Natsu said again.

"My name is Igneel Dragneel, the vampire king of Magnolia and this is my son Natsu. I'm sure you have figured out by now you're currently in the West. We're clan Fairy Tail, a group of vampires who are for peace. The vampires who took you hostage was clan Sabertooth, an enemy and threat to most of the clans who reside in the West." He smiled kindly, "I can tell you're tense, human, please relax. I understand this is a lot to take in but don't worry, we will not hurt you. Unlike Sabertooth, we don't drink human blood."

Lucy released a sigh of relief. Although she still had a jumble of thoughts spinning in her head she knew Igneel was telling the truth about how most of the vampires wouldn't hurt her in this castle—well so far that wasn't anyone trying to lunge at her.

"What's your name?" He asked, causing Lucy to flick her gaze up to him.

"I'm…it's Lucy Heartfilia." She said quietly, slowly peering to Natsu who stood by her side with the same frown from earlier.

"Father I still don't understand," Natsu snapped and looked at the king, his eyes narrowing into a glare, "Why didn't you tell me earlier? And how in the world can my mate be a… _a human_?" His last words slipped off his lips like venom, causing Lucy to scowl.

Igneel sighed. "Sometimes, even I don't have the answer to these things Natsu, but they do happen."

"I-I'm sorry, but can anyone please explain what does this 'mate' thing mean?" Lucy spoke up, surprising herself by her sudden surge of courage.

Natsu went awfully silent as he started to peel his clothes off. Lucy felt her face flush as she immediately turned around, coughing awkwardly as she tried to focus on the masked guards that surrounded the room.

"Look." His voice made her attention turn to his finger that was pointing to his bare shoulder, where a mark similar to the one on her hand was imprinted on his skin. It was coloured in a dark shade of red, while hers was light pink.

"You see this mark? This means you're my mate, as in the person I'm supposed to be with for the rest of my life. It's something most vampires have to go through, but most of the time, their mates aren't usually… _human._ " He said and took a step closer to her. She stared at both of their marks in shock, finally coming to a conclusion it had not been an infection or a wound, but a mate mark.

It was then, Natsu leaned in to her ear, his breath ghosting against the shell and Lucy suppressed the urge to shudder out a breath. She stayed still in her spot, her lips pressed tightly together, her eyes wide and her breathing had gone quiet.

"Listen carefully," He whispered, his voice low and she could see the shine of his fangs, "You are my mate and that makes you mine. You are to stay at my side and only my side. No one will be able to have you and no one will be able to _touch_ you." Her face went red, "Do you understand me, Lucy?"

"Yes." She said, her head slightly fuzzy and softly pushed him away from her body and was met with an uncomfortable emptiness. "I…I understand."

She tried to tell herself she understood the situation. She tried to convince herself that she was now the mate of a stranger she barely knew, not to mention the stranger just so happened to be a vampire prince, and that was going to be her whole life and she was going to be _okay_ with it. Because—yeah, that's right, It was a totally normal thing to happen. Most people- or okay, _some people_ became mates of vampires too. She wasn't the only one. But then again, no one ever told her what happened to them at the end. Were they were killed off? Sold as blood banks? Or maybe they ended up living happily after and raised a great family of half vampire humans?

Her brain gave a little internal whimper.

"Then it's settled," He said, already heading out of the throne room and his clothes back on. "Come with me and we'll get you cleaned."

With one last look at the King who flashed her a sympathetic smile, she quickly caught up with Natsu and stayed by his side, just as he told her too.

"What's your favourite colour?" He suddenly asked.

She blinked. "Oh, I uh, I don't really have one."

"Then I guess you'll have to stick with wearing pink." He nodded, satisfied with his choice.

"Pink?" She mumbled and she couldn't help but to smile as she said that. "Out of all colours, why pink?"

"I figured you would look nice in pink." Natsu said with a small smirk, and Lucy thought he was joking, but when she saw the look on his face, her cheeks turned bright red.

* * *

Author's note: Oh my gosh! Thank you all so much for the reviews from the previous chapter! They really helped motivate me to write this chapter as fast as I can. I'm also really happy that most of you like the idea of strong Lucy. She's really an interesting character to work with and in this chapter I showed more of her vulnerable side, since she's literally just been captured by vampires and now she's suddenly a mate of one, it's definitely a lot to take in, even for a character of her personality.

Thank you for the amount of you who volunteered to be a beta for the story! But because I'm currently on a holiday with my family, the beta will only be confirmed by next week (the next update), I'm very sorry for the wait and I'll try to get back to you guys as soon as possible. I intend on updating at least every week, but I'm not very sure at the moment.

Here's a fun fact: I was actually inspired by Spirited Away to write this. With the whole going to another world with no way back and suddenly a bunch of strange characters appear is really what most of the aspects of this story is based on.

Thanks for reading and once again, thanks so much for the support! See you in the next chapter (:


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Stars In Her Eyes

* * *

 _"Oh, Lucy Heartfilia? The human? [laugh] Yeah, I remember her. Star girl, as some would call her, she was obsessed with constellations. People used to say she was born from a wish upon a shooting star, and perhaps, they're right. Though, I admit, I don't really see what's so shining or spectacular about her, she came with love and all the gross human diseases. Well, Natsu did tell me she's awfully good at making poems, so that's a plus." —Romeo Conbolt from an interview with Fiore Times_

* * *

There was a lot of things he still had to learn about Lucy. She was a cluster ball of a million mysteries, none of her ancestors could be traced back and he couldn't find any records of her parents or the village she came from. Of course, he would ask her, but he other matters to attend to and she was kept secluded in the other side of the castle. Natsu rubbed his forehead and released a sigh, it had only a day since the incident and he had to admit, he was still a bit overwhelmed by the situation.

Humans were strange. They felt a lot warmer than normal vampires and they seemed much more… lively. But maybe that was because they weren't over a thousand years old. He wasn't sure if it was just Lucy, but her scent was strong and admittedly… intoxicating. He had only seen a few humans in his life, the ones he fought in war and hostages he found at enemy camps. Usually, they were dead. This was the first time he was this close to a human, the first time he held a human, the first time he had a proper conversation with one. It was fascinating but he knew he had to keep his guard up. Who knows what would happen.

Natsu found himself standing in the meeting room with Erza and Gray. Their mouths spilled with updates, consulting him about how their battles were lost and won, how many brave men were struck down and speaking quickly of what their next move was going to be. Their words were tuned out as his eyes were trained on the map riddled with symbols and words while his mind was somewhere else.

"We found this in Lucy's belongings." Erza's words managed to pull him out of his thoughts. She placed a pendant on the war table, its surface decorated with zodiac symbols, "According to Levy, she said it belonged to the Heartfilia tribe, notable for their discovery and knowledge of the constellations. They weren't fighters, in fact, they were quite the opposite. Their members were made up of scholars, writers, philosophers and so on. They lived in East coast, residing in one of the quieter areas where it… _used_ to be safe from the war." She murmured the last part quietly.

"What do you mean by _used_ to?" Natsu inquired.

Her eyes shifted to the map and her fingers slowly took a marker and drew a red line across the words 'EAST COAST'. "They're extinct. Sabertooth wiped them out a few days ago and only a handful of them managed to escape. We can only presume that some of them became hostages of Sabertooth, seeing as Lucy was one."

Natsu frowned, silently wondering how Lucy managed to pull through all that. "Gray," He said firmly, catching the ice-cold knight's attention, "Tell one of your men to search the remains of the East Coast for anything that could help us. Erza, work with Levy to find out as much as you can about Lucy."

"Yes milord." They said in unison before they made their way out of the meeting room. When they had left and he was alone, his eyes caught the glint of the pendant that sat on the wooden table. He carefully took it into his hands, his fingers smoothing the texture of the zodiac symbols as a smile tugged briefly at his lips.

* * *

Natsu crossed into the great hall, nodding curtly at the staff he passed by. As he walked slowly through the dark interior, he wondered what a human castle would be like. Would it be filled with light? Filled with colors and flowers? He never went to one, but he longed to. For most of his life, he had been secluded behind castle walls, trapping himself in darkness and everything that was red and black.

For once, he thought to himself bitterly, he just wanted new color drapes.

His attention was caught by a dark feminine silhoutte at the end of the hall, which led to the dining room. He furrowed his brows and made his way towards the light glow that emitted from within. What was that girl up to at this time at night?

He stood at the doorway as he watched Lucy, who sat at the very end of the long table that stretched across the room with a bundle of candles placed in the middle. She had changed into a pink nightgown that ended at her kneecaps, which he had to admit, looked pretty good. Her mouth was filled with food as she kept trying to stuff in as much as she could. He felt his lips twitch, slightly amused at the sight before him.

"Nashshu?" Lucy said through the bits of food and attempted to swallow it down

"Hungry?" Natsu flashed a quick smirk and made his way to the seat next to her, "Did Mirajane not tell the chefs to prepare a meal for you?"

"Oh," She said quietly, carefully placing her utensils down. Natsu glanced down and noticed she was biting her lip shyly. He looked away quickly, trying to fight the color that was rushing to his cheeks. "She did, but I—uhm, can't eat blood."

He mentally slapped himself. He had forgotten most of their meals consisted of blood and only blood, that was all the chefs knew how to make. He stared at the small meal she had prepared for herself, it was bread, meat and some potatoes. It seemed dull and empty to him, perhaps a dash of blood as gravy could fix it up?

"I'm sorry, I should've realised-"

"It's okay, it's not your fault. I made myself a meal anyway." She flashed a smile at him, but he could tell she was faking it. They way the corner of her lips quivered and the redness in her eyes-

She had been crying.

But he realised, she wasn't crying because she got dragged into a kingdom filled with blood sucking vampires or the time when she was held hostage as one of Sabertooth's victims- no, she had been mourning over the loss of her tribe. She had heard the news from Mirajane, who left her in the confines of one of their guest rooms to weep. The scent of her tears were still strong on her skin, yet, she didn't show it.

He felt his heart give out a painful throb at the thought. What seemed to boggle his mind even more, was the fact that she could still manage to smile at him… out of all people, after everything she had been through. Natsu had to admit, that was a certain human quality of hers he admired in some way.

"Lucy." He said, and found himself liking the way her lips slipped out of his lips. He shook his head, pushing the thought into the back of his mind as he turned his attention to the blonde that looked at him with those big brown orbs, "Are you…okay?"

Out of all the ways he could've phrased the question… _are you okay?_ Way to go Natsu, he mentally swore at himself.

"To be honest, it's still a little hard to believe all this is happening to me." She chuckled weakly, her eyes shifting to the empty plate, "One moment I'm going through all the books on my shelf and the next— I'm in a kingdom full of vampires. Even when I pinch myself, I think I'm still in a dream."

He supposed he related to her on some level. Sometimes when he was out in battle and witnessing the men fall to their knees from a deadly blow to their chest or the pools of blood that littered the ground, he would always try to convince himself that it was all a horrible dream.

Most of the time, it was real.

"I never knew the sky could be so dark." She said quietly, her lips turned into a small smile, "There are so many stars here compared to the East, so many stars I've never seen or heard about." He could see excitement sparkle in her eyes. "On some nights in the East Coast, all I see is smoke and flames from afar, villages or forests being burned down."

"It's not much different here." His gaze riveted on her expression, "This is just one of the better nights. Most of the time, there aren't any stars."

"Then you should treasure it." Her smile turned bittersweet. "It's times like these that makes all of this worth while. "

It irked him. The happiness she carried, the innocence that reflected in her eyes and the way she looked at the world. How could someone be so positive at times like these?

"How do you do that?" He asked, his voice more throaty than he had anticipated it to be.

She flickered her gaze to his face before looking at the drapes that covered the stars.

"Count your blessings."

There was an easy silence that fell between them. Natsu opened his mouth to say something, but was unsure of what exactly he should say. During the few words they had exchanged to one another, he realised there was something… unique about the human that sat next to him. She was strong, perhaps not physically but mentally. A part of him wanted to feel what she felt when she looked at the stars or savoured the things she was gifted, yet at the same time, he was scared. Scared of feeling the warmth and happiness she felt.

"It's getting late, we should get to bed." He said as he reached his hand for hers. Once their skin made contact, her breath hitched and she instantly retracted her hand before a look of horror painted her face.

She was terrified.

"I know you don't trust me Lucy," His words caused her to sink further into her seat, "but you don't have many options at the moment. If we could bring you back to the East we would in an instant, but at the moment it's too dangerous to cross the border, it's heavily guarded with Sabertooth enforcements." He sighed as he rubbed his neck.

"I'm aware of that." Her words flowed from her, "I just… need some time." Lucy pushed herself up and shot him a confused look, "Where should I sleep?"

Natsu hesitated for a moment. There was no way he could leave her alone, the others could get to her. Leaving her in the ladies' dorm was also risky, since the pill wasn't in full effect yet and her human scent was still strong. He was still angry at himself, angry that he couldn't provide her a proper meal or even her own room.

"You'll have to stay with me for now." He took hold of her hand and noticed how soft and warm it was. He was cautious of how tight he held it, as though scared that if he put a little more pressure it would melt in his hands. Her fingers responded and laced themselves around his, he felt a flutter in his chest.

Without a second to waste, he guided her through the darkness of the halls as quick as he could and to avoid as much contact with the others as possible. She was desperately trying to keep up, calling out his name to slow down or to let her catch her breath.

Finally, they stopped in front of a large wooden door engraved with magnolian patterns. Natsu quickly ushered her in and closed the door behind them, slipping carefully past the guards. He turned back and found Lucy standing awkwardly as she observed the room she was in. She had been here once, why was she suddenly so curious?

"Do you have a bed roll or a—" Her voice trailed off. He raised a brow, confused by what she said. Soon, he realised she was referring to how there was only a single kingsized bed.

"Why sleep on the floor when you can use the bed?" He questioned, wondering what she was so worried about.

"Yes. O-of course." She stuttered, her hands clenched into two fists firmly glued to her sides.

Natsu made his way towards the bed, swinging onto it before he looked at her with a sense of impatience and confusion.

"Well? Are you just going to stand there and watch?"

Lucy swallowed thickly and climbed into the other side of the bed, quickly covering herself in the thick layer of blanket. She curled to her side facing away from him, inching closer to the edge of the bed. A content sigh escaped her lips as she began to drift off.

His throat felt awfully dry, he couldn't help himself from staring at her exposed neck. The paleness and softness of her skin taunted him. He could hear his heart pounding against his ears. There was a desperate urge to sink his teeth in, to relish in the taste of her blood and lose himself in her scent. He wondered what her skin would taste like, how would they feel if he nibbled or sucked on them and what sounds she would make as he did it.

Natsu released a low growl and turned away, squeezing his eyes shut and silently scolded himself. His cheeks felt warm and his mind ran with thoughts and ideas he never thought he would have.

Maybe he should've slept on the floor instead.

"Goodnight Lucy." He managed to keep his voice even, grateful that it was dark so she couldn't see the redness of his face.

"Sweet dreams Natsu." She replied.

He could hear the smile in her voice.

* * *

Author's note: HOLY CRUD! Only two chapters and already 163 follows, 80 favs and 25 reviews!? Thank you all so much! I honestly didn't expect this to get noticed at all. Your support and suggestions have been a huge motivation for these couple of months while i was away- and yes, it's been 6 months and I am extremely sorry about that. It's been a really hard few months for me, a lot of things have happened in my life and I was just a huge mess. Luckily, I'm all sorted now and I'm back to writing this bad boy.

This au is pretty large in terms of lore and there are just so many possibilities! So, I'm open to any suggestions/ideas of history and traditions that have to do with the West and the East, feel free to pm me about it (:

I apologise for the short, mistakes ridden chapter. I was rushing to get this out so to tell you guys I'm actually alive and I am definitely going to continue this story. Expect a long and much more detailed chapter soon!

As always, thanks a ton for reading and the support! Have a nice day everyone (:


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Man In The Mirror

* * *

 _"Humans? They're nothing but weak little beings. They're our main threat to winning this war and we must stop at nothing to eliminate their kind. They're our playthings, do what you must with them, their purpose is to serve our wants. And in time, the rest of the West will join us in this battle against the human race where they will soon understand the truth." —Sting Eucliffe's orders towards the Sabertooth army_

* * *

She felt a warmth tingle along her collarbone, earning a soft moan to escape her lips. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open and found a cacophony of pinks and yellows blinding her view. She was staring at Natsu, who slept beside her and his face mere inches away from her chest. His hair tickled her chin and an arm was wrapped across her form while the other hugged a pillow. Thankfully, he was still asleep and it seemed as though he wasn't aware of his position. As quietly and cautiously as she could, Lucy attempted to peel off his arm which only made him pull her closer to his chest.

With her lips pressed together, she tried to turn her attention away from the body that was beside her, trying to take her mind off on how his shirt had slightly rolled up to stomach, revealing parts of his abs. She closed her eyes and clenched her hands tight, as though trying to prevent herself from running her fingers up his muscles, wondering how they would feel-

Lucy shook her head, a deep shade of red painted her cheeks as her stomach sunk at how guilty she began to feel. How could she think of him that way? She had only met him a day ago, not to mention, he was a vampire! Her hand lightly slapped her cheeks, trying to wash away the thoughts that ran through her mind. Why was she even having such thoughts? She had never thought of anyone in _that_ way, especially the detailed visual images that flashed in her mind.

 _N-no! I would never!_

No, she didn't like him, perhaps she had just started to notice the anatomy of vampires or maybe-

"Lu…cy." Natsu groaned out, still asleep.

Her eyes went wide at the sound of her name that slipped off his lips. He was dreaming about her? She laughed nervously, shifting uncomfortably in her spot and too afraid to wake the vampire prince up. _Happy thoughts. Go to your happy place Lucy._

Her heart began to beat faster as he started to move in his spot, his face snuggled in the crook of her neck, snores sounded through the room and Lucy felt as if she could suffocate in the amount of tension she was in.

"Lucy." He murmured again, this time her name was loud and clear. She felt her cheeks flush, but her expression immediately turned into a frown at the sight of his brows pulling together, lips quivering and his forehead plastered with beads of sweat.

"Natsu." She whispered, desperately trying to wake him up, "Natsu, wake up."

He groaned and rolled over, freeing her from his hold and allowing her to take in the air she longed for. She sprang up from the bed, her gaze fixated on the throbbing mark that was on her hand that glowed at each beat. Oddly enough, it didn't hurt this time around, it felt more—calming. She looked at the identical mark on Natsu's shoulder, except it was red. It too pulsed and it caused a soft groan from his lips every time it gave a glow.

Lucy closed her eyes and swallowed hard. This was it, wasn't it? She was forever tied to a man she barely knew, a man that wasn't even _human._ An uneasy tension sent ripples up her skin, reminding herself of the reality she was in. There was no village she could go back to, her family had thankfully been relocated somewhere else in the East months before the savages had raided the village. Her heart still ached for her presumably dead friends and relatives. Yet, she had no more tears to shed. She was done crying, done living in the past, it was time to look forward to the future.

A future that was probably going to involve a certain vampire.

Natsu released a loud groan as he stirred awake, his eyes fluttering open and for a moment, the redness in his eyes glowed bright and she was transfixed on the way the colors swirled and glowed. He blinked once and the redness had died down, she felt a sense of relief washed over her, as though worried she would get lost in his eyes if she had stared at them for a little longer.

"Good morning." She quietly said. He didn't reply as he struggled to sit himself up, his mouth opening into a loud yawn.

She dropped her gaze to the blanket that covered the both of them, "I-I heard you." He visibly paled, his eyes growing wide and his mouth opened to say something before he was quickly cut off by Lucy, "You were having a nightmare weren't you? I should've woken you up earlier, I know how horrible nightmares can be." His pupils had slightly dilated. Her frown deepened at his expression and she could only assume he was furious. "I'm sorry."

Natsu was quiet for a while, and she was too afraid to look directly at him, scared of meeting his angered expression.

"It was nothing, Lucy." He said finally. "I have nightmares all the time, I'm used to it."

"Oh." She said, rather pathetically, her fingers clenched the sheets. She wanted to desperately help him, to pull him away from his nightmares and into the dreams that she often dreamt.

"Your mark." He said, referring to the pulsing mark on her hand. "May I?" He asked and held out his hand. Hesitantly, she placed her hand in his palm, feeling the coldness of his skin. Like from the other day, he brought it close to his face, inspecting each part of it carefully. His breath ghosted against her skin and the mark began to glow brighter than before.

"Does it hurt?"

She shook her head, eyes still planted on the blanket, "Sometimes, but the pain's manageable."

His expression washed over with a look of concern, his fingers slowly went to smooth her mark, causing her to flinch slightly at the contact. She sat there, weighing on a question she had been dying to ask. Finally, without a trace of fear or hesitation, she asked, "What does this all mean?"

"This?"

"Us being mates. Why would you…" She looked down miserably, "Why me? Out of all the possibilities in the world, why would the mate of a vampire prince be a feeble human? Does this mean we're…um…" Her voice trailed off uncomfortably.

Lucy let the moments of silence continued, patiently waiting for him to reply.

"Honestly, I don't really know why we're mates either." He released a ragged sigh, "Neither of us wanted this to happen. I never intended to meddle with humans and you didn't intend to get dragged into a world of vampires. But this is what fate had in stored for us, whether we like it or not. All we can do at the moment, is make the best out of this situation." He tightened his hold on her hand, "Lucy, you need to trust me, I won't hurt you. Do you understand?"

"I…" She released a shaky breath and slowly nodded, "Understand."

And she did. She knew the circumstance she was in, whether she liked it or not, she was eternally bound to the man beside her. It pained her knowing that she could never be with another person nor leave him, but what could she do? After all, it was fate's plan.

Then, there was a knock on the door. Natsu got off the bed and made his way to open the door, only to find that it was Virgo who stood there with a pleasant smile plastered on her lips. She looked at the man before her and then Lucy who still sat on the bed, her lips quickly curved into a knowing grin.

"Milord, shall I take Lucy for a bath?"

"Yes," He stopped to clear his throat and motioned Lucy to come forth, "Of course."

Before Lucy could step out of the room, he held her arm and leaned in close to her ear, his lips mere inches away from her skin, "Remember what I told you, don't try to talk or make eye contact with anyone in the halls."

With that, he closed the door. Virgo requested her to follow her to the springs and began to leave the door to the vampire prince's room.

However, the low growl that emitted from within did not go unnoticed by Lucy.

* * *

 _She heard me._ He thought to himself in a daze, _She heard me._

Natsu ran a hand over his hair, his eyes squeezed shut as he found it hard to believe that she had heard him dream. The problem wasn't that she thought it was a nightmare, the problem was that it _wasn't_ a nightmare.

Lucy was in his dreams. Their bodies were intertwined, her human heat radiating off her as her breath gently fanned against his neck. She had been gasping slowly, eyes closed as she clung onto him while he _guided_ her. Her scent filled his nostrils, it was a mixture of something pleasant and sweet and he could sense that it was still lingering in the air.

 _"Bite me."_

He vividly remembered the words that slipped out of her lips like honey. He was close, so awfully close to sinking his teeth in and savouring the blood that coursed through her body. But no matter how hard he tried, she had always gotten further and further away from him, until he had woken up to the very same girl with confusion glistening in her eyes.

Jaw clenched hard, he tried to think about anything but _her._ He tried to take his mind away from the softness of her skin, the way her tongue would swipe over her lips or they way she _looked_ at him in his dream. His hands gripped onto his study table as he tried to find a sense of balance as his emotions began to twist and turn. He was ashamed, ashamed that he had thought of her in _such_ a way.

Natsu suppressed another groan, attempting to ignore the heat that had begun pooling in his lower region. He had noticed how her scent had started to grow stronger and stronger, were the herbs Mirajane gave her not effective? By now, her scent would've already mingled with their own, but to him, it was a sweet fragrance that only intensified.

"Shut up." He gritted out, trying to stop himself from thinking about the blonde. His breath came out as harsh and heavy pants, his heart hammered against his chest as he struggled to regain his composure. The mark on his arm was sending wave after wave of emotions and the air suddenly felt too thick. With a shaky grip, he managed to pull himself towards the bathroom and clung onto the sink as though his life depended on it. He gripped onto the edges and heaved himself up, staring at the man in the mirror.

His eyes widened as he saw his pupils glow in a vibrant red, his teeth had gotten sharper and his entire being began to radiate a dark aura. The monster in him began to claw and bite, whispering words filled with toxic and lust into his ears. A part of him hated it and tried to push it away to the best of his ability, yet, the other part urged him to give in, to succumb into the darkness.

 _"She's yours. Her mind, soul, being is all yours. You can do whatever you want with her and she won't have the right to reject you."_ The voiced chuckled darkly. _"Take her. Use her. Mark her."_

He heaved in harsh breaths, turning away from his reflection and stumbled back into his room. The world started to turn around him, his mind desperately tried to grasp onto reality only to be taunted with the voices from the darkest corner of his mind.

"Hey I— Flame brain!?"

It was Gray, he had stormed in and taken a hold of his arm. A loud buzzing noise sounded in his ears, as the voices began to fade away and the world began to shift back to normal. He stared blankly at Gray, who was shouting and slapping his face, attempting to shake him out of his state.

"Wake up!" He screamed in his face. Natsu blinked once, twice, before he was back. "What the hell happened? Do I need to call Wendy-"

"No!" He said instantly, "Don't. It's not a big deal-"

"Not a big deal? Why, excuse my language _prince_ , but how the fuck is that not a big deal? You look like you were having a seizure or some shit, you could've died."

"But I didn't."

"But you could've!" Gray groaned in frustration, "Can you walk?"

"I— yeah, I can." He murmured, "It's the damn mark. It's getting worse."

The knight eyed the mark on his arm warily, watching it closely as the pulsing began to slow down.

"It's worse than I thought, even Gajeel wasn't this bad. It might have something to do with your bloodline, Dragneels do tend to have more intense instincts." Gray frowned, "I think we need to set an appointment with Porlyusica tomorrow."

Natsu's eyes widened, "No way. Don't you dare bring me to that bitch."

"We don't have a choice dumbass." He said, unfazed by how he had just referred to royalty, "You know the consequences if we keep this up, you'll end up like a crazed animal."

He groaned, not at all enthusiastic about the suggestion but he knew that was the only way to solve the issue at hand.

"Come on, if we're quick enough there'll be leftover AB blood bags." Natsu said as he made his way out. He looked over his shoulder to find Gray staring at him questionably. "Hey, it's not like I'm dying or anything. I'm still talking and walking."

Gray scoffed and jogged out of his room and into the hall, "Whatever you say your _majesty._ If you can catch up then I'll know you're really not dying."

* * *

Lucy felt herself melt in the warmth of the hot spring and slowly lowered herself into the water. She released a sigh of relief and closed her eyes, a small smile pulled at her lips. She needed this, her mind was focused on nothing but relaxation and she was in bliss.

She went to scrub her skin and massaged her scalp, humming a little tune as she did so. The hot spring was located outside with a secured perimeter and an open roof, the sky was a bright shade of blue with an occasional splatter of clouds.

Perhaps, Magnolia wasn't so bad. The people she met in the castle weren't exactly vocal about their disapproval, in fact, most of the time she barely heard anything at all but received their looks of disgust and disappointment. Though, she couldn't blame them, she bet it was incredibly uncomfortable for them to have a single human in a kingdom full of vampires. Natsu had told her no one outside of the castle knew where she was or who she was, as far as any of the citizens or other kingdoms were concerned, she was merely a rogue vampire who had gotten lost in the battlefield.

Mirajane had been nothing but nice to her during the duration of her stay. She didn't cast her any looks of indifference, instead, she treated her with kindness. At times, of course, she didn't know any of the human customs which were actually not that different to vampires. Other than that, the doctor tried her best to help her in any way she could and for that, Lucy was incredibly grateful.

Her view of vampires had changed drastically through the course of two days. When she was younger, she was often told they were beings who lusted for blood and violence. They ravaged the homes of the innocent, killed for fun and were filled with greed. Vampires were like the monsters under her bed, except they were very much real. She carried the mindset well into her young adult state, that was, until she was saved by the very kind she feared.

Natsu.

Natsu he was… she stopped scrubbing her skin. What exactly was he to her? They didn't even act like mates or even _lovers_ for that matter. He had kept asking if she trusted him, but really, the question was the other way around. Did _he_ trust her? She knew he was skeptic of humans and often kept his guard up when he was around her. She wanted him to be a… friend, she supposed. Or at the very least, she wanted to know more about him. After all, he was the vampire prince of one of the most prosperous kingdoms that reigned the West. It couldn't hurt to attempt a friendship with him, right? It wasn't like she was going anywhere, she was his mate, tied together for life.

"Lucy Heartfilia."

A feminine voice pulled her out of her train of thoughts. She blinked as she turned to the source of her name and found a petite blue haired girl who sat across from her. Her skin was like porcelain, lips pale and eyes large.

"Do I know you-"

"No, but I know you." She flashed a playful grin. "I'm Levy Mcgarden, protector of the castle's most valuable relics and books or as humans would call it— I'm the castle's librarian."

"Sounds like a dangerous but noble job." Lucy smiled, already liking the girl. "Wait, how did you know my name?"

"Word travels fast and usually, I'm never one to miss out on words." She winked, "I've also done some research on you. You're Lucy Heartfilia, 21 years old from the Heartfilia tribe who resid _ed_ in the East Coast-" She trailed off and paused, shooting her a look of concern. "I'm so sorry about your lost. How are you… coping?"

Lucy swallowed thickly and waved a dismissive hand. "I'm doing fine, really. Though, I'm still not really used to all-" She waved her arms around, "This. The castle is huge and most of the time, I end up getting lost only for Mirajane or Natsu to come and save me."

"It sounds like you're looking for a tour guide and well," Levy motioned towards herself, "Here's one willing to do it for free."

Their laughter rang through the hot spring. As they continued to chat about what not, Lucy learned that the two of them shared a love for books and Levy had an endless shipment of them that arrived every day. She too, loved to write during her spare time and often wrote about gothic poems, which made Lucy chuckle at her cheery state as she said that. The blunette also happened to have a mate called Gajeel, one of Natsu's knights. The only difference between their relationships, was that Levy loved Gajeel.

"So, Natsu, huh." Levy muttered, tilting her head back as she looked at the sky. "Who would've thought the mate of a vampire prince was a human the entire time."

"Tell me about it." Lucy sighed. "And it's not even a human from nobility."

"What is he like?" She asked, turning towards the blonde with eyes lit with curiosity. "I haven't got to know him personally but from what I can tell, he seems pretty dangerous."

Lucy sunk her teeth into her lip. "Oh, he's not… dangerous. He hasn't done anything to harm me, he's just a bit distant, that's all." She paused, carefully choosing her words. "I don't blame him. He doesn't want this as much as I do." Her body sank deeper into the water, "Fate has a sick sense of humour."

"You know, if I were you I would be careful around that man." At Levy's words, she turned to face her. "He's a Dragneel, one of the most powerful line of vampires. You never know what he might do to you."

Lucy shook her head and released a nervous chuckle. "But he's Natsu, he would never-"

She froze, letting it register her mind.

He wouldn't, would he?

After all, he did promise he wouldn't hurt her.

* * *

Natsu sighed in the peace and quiet that lingered in the clean garden air. It felt refreshing to bask in the coolness of the night, he had been enclosed behind castle walls for too long. The slight breeze of Magnolia washed over him, filling him nostalgia. He looked at the series of stars that was scattered across the dark canvas above him. He squinted his eyes, only able to make out a few of the constellations.

He licked his fangs clean, tasting the remains of his dinner. The blood slowly sank in, causing him to close his eyes as it slipped off his tongue. It was nights like these he truly enjoyed. There were no duties to attend to, the temperature was cool and the atmosphere was at peace.

He snapped his eyes opened at a thought. Where had Lucy been? He hadn't seen her all day and he could only assume she was under Mirajane's care. His brows pulled together in worry, the number of possibilities ran though his mind and his heart sank at the thought. He had to admit, for half of the day he had been trying to avoid her, mainly due to the little episode he had in his chamber. He growled at the memory and ignored it, not wanting to think about his experience.

Their talk from the other night had made him reconsider his view on her. He found himself often wondering what kind of world she lived in, how did she see the world and past the ugliness that it held. She was quite open with herself, he had realised, perhaps she would reveal even more if he was more willing to sit and listen. He was still awkward around her, too cautious to even make the simplest of conversations. The blonde would usually smile at him— or at least, attempt to. And he would always regard her coldly, as though she was nothing but a responsibility he didn't want. He supposed that was true at first, he didn't want her in his care. Managing the castle and a war was bad enough and now a human was thrown into his life. He had treated her with distrust, only issuing her commands and rules.

Maybe, he should at least try to know more about her.

There was a wonderful smell that wafted in the air, and he knew all too well who it was. Curiously, he walked around the garden, hoping to find a flash of blonde. Then, sitting on a bench with a pen and paper in hand was Lucy, whose features were swept with awe as she stared silently at the sky.

"Lucy." He cleared his throat earning her attention. She jerked her head to the side, the moonlight lit her face and her mouth opened in surprise.

"Natsu." She regarded him with a smile. His attention was caught by the paper in her hands which was riddled with little drawings.

"What are you doing?" He asked, motioning the material she held. Lucy flickered a gaze momentarily at her drawings and then back at him. She looked happy, but he could tell she was holding herself back.

"I was studying the stars," She paused and scooted to the edge of the bench and patted the seat next to her. "Would you like to join me?"

Although hesitant, he took a couple steps closer and sat down next to her, feeling the same heat radiating off her from last night. She pointed a finger at a cluster of stars, urging him to look up. And when he did, he was confused by what she was trying to show him.

"What do you see?" She asked.

"I see…" He said as he tried his hardest to make out the constellation, "Nothing. I don't see anything."

"That's because you're not looking hard enough." She said softly. Carefully, she traced an outline of the stars, causing a wave of realisation to hit Natsu. "Do you see it now?"

He saw it. It was two people—the Gemini constellation. It was odd, the constellations were rarely spoken of in Magnolia and yet, it was always hanging above them, waiting to be discovered. They knew so little of the stars, he supposed most of his kind had the mindset that it had always been there. It wasn't anything special, they were just sparkly objects that appeared every night.

"Gemini." He answered. "I heard from the elders that each kingdom has a different set of constellations every year and each culture has a different interpretation of them. They've twisted the _stories_ and myths, all suiting to their own liking." He cleared his throat, "Such as Magnolia, we've greatly exaggerated Gemini into two little blue people who look like plush toys. We're great at originality."

She laughed, loud and sweet, like delicate music notes to his ears. Her eyes lit up in amusement as she unconsciously shifted closer to him. "I've always visualised Cancer as a man with a talent for cutting hair. Don't you think a crab's claws are like two giant scissors?"

He gave a small laugh at the mental image she brought him. "Big meaty claws snipping away at my hair? Perhaps I should hire myself a new hair stylist."

"Brilliant." She grinned. "Tell me more."

The two of them shared a laugh and continued on. Lucy nodded, listening intently on the stories he told her. He had told her about the constellation Aquarius and her story about her brave sacrifice, Tarus who was a perverted cow yet a formidable warrior when he was needed and many more. Then, when he was done it was his turn to listen in on Lucy's stories. He had to admit, she was a brilliant storyteller. She spoke of human tradition, how they celebrated certain holidays with feasts made of meat and vegetables. There were myth and legends of brave human warriors and how desperately they fought in their battles. Natsu frowned at that part, understanding the loss of good men.

It intrigued him. The way humans lived, interacted and strived. It was a glimpse into an unfamiliar world. Most historians in the West rarely touched on the topic of the East, the majority liked to think that the East didn't exist at all and the world was only filled with vampires. As time went on, he began grow fond of the human sitting beside him. She continued to speak of stories he had never heard of.

"Look." She said and handed him her paper. He took it in his hands, carefully studying the sketches only to realise they were the positions and shapes of the constellations, noting the tiniest of details and drawn with careful precision. Then, he felt her soft flesh pressed against his arm, pushing against it so she could get a better look. Natsu tensed at the feeling, clearing his throat.

"I know there aren't many studies on constellations— well at least, that's what Levy told me when she mentioned there were only 2 books in Magnolia on astronomy. So here," She flashed him a small grin, "your very own sheet of constellations. Sorry if my drawings are horrible, but hopefully most of my notes will give you enough information to figure out the rest."

He stared at the piece of paper in his hands, a little shocked. It wasn't often people gave him things— was this what they called a gift? He wasn't sure, but a part of him felt grateful that she gave it to him. He focused as best he could on the details of her drawings and research, trying to take his mind off on the way she was still pushing against his arm.

" _Feel her. Touch her."_

"Thank you Lucy." He replied and neatly folded the paper into his pocket, "Your designs and notes are remarkable."

He watched as a light shade of red painted her cheeks, bashfully looking away. He smirked, finding amusement in the action.

 _"Don't you want to feel her skin? Don't you want to taste it?"_

"I suggest you go back to my room soon, it's starting to get late."

"Ah," She mouthed out, noticing how dark the sky had gotten, "Will you be coming with me?"

 _"Claim her. Show everyone she's yours, no one will ever lay a hand on her but you."_

"I have other duties to attend to, but I'll be coming later." He said and turned away, not once looking back at the blonde who stood there with a satisfied smile playing on her lips.

"Goodbye Natsu."

He forced a smile, and continued to attend to his duties, hoping that it would push the voices that plagued his mind away.

* * *

Author's Note: Told you guys I would update soon + a longer chapter (; Just to warn you guys it's going to get more NSFW from here. I, uh, also suck at writing lemons so I apologise if my future lemons aren't 'steamy' enough (heh).

Thank you for all the lovely reviews, follows, faves and I hope you all have a nice day!


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